The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will add RealTime signs to
areas around Mount Hood, including Hwy. 26, Hwy. 35 and Timberline Road,
with construction beginning in late 2016. The signs offer up to the minute
traffic information and advisories, including road conditions and travel times
between destinations.

“This is a cutting edge system,” said Kimberly Dinwiddie, ODOT Community
Affairs. “There are not very many systems across the country at all that tell
people the weather conditions in real time.”

This will be the second installation of the technology in Oregon, according to
Dinwiddie, following the first on Hwy. 217 in Washington County. She added
that the data from the first year of the system show there has been a
significant reduction in crashes.

Dinwiddie believes the problems that can occur around Mount Hood, including
congestion, crashes and changes in weather - even weather changes based on
the elevations - will make the signs a welcome addition.

“The Mount Hood area is the perfect location to have a weather warning
system ... to advise (drivers) on what steps they can take to make sure they
travel safely,” Dinwiddie said.

Designs for the project to this point have located sites where signs can go
based on visibility, communications viability and access to power at the lowest
cost.

Dinwiddie noted that things could change as the project progresses and she
hopes to get feedback from the community.

Currently, signs that advise drivers to carry chains are changed manually by
ODOT maintenance workers, which Dinwiddie noted adds a dangerous delay
when trying to get information to drivers quickly. The new sign system will be
controlled remotely, meaning managers can post advisories from their offices.
The new system is also expected to include weather sensors and additional
cameras (accessible by the public at tripcheck.com).

Dinwiddie added that some of the early work for the project has been included
in the “U.S. 26 Mt. Hood Highway Safety and Preservation Project,” which will
expand the highway and add a 1.6-mile concrete median barrier to prevent
crossover accidents.

The sign project will also have much less of an impact to the highway, but
will require lane closures, flagging and extremely short term full closures of
areas, such as overnight closures.

A project website is expected to to be up and running by mid-February,
including offering an opportunity for community members to submit
comments, while plans are expected to be put out for bid in spring.
For more information, visit TripCheck.com/realtime.